Meet The Sea Bunnies, The Strange Sea Creatures Japan Has Fallen In Love With

Despite its cute and cuddly appearance, this little sea creature is actually a kind of slug. When you hear the word “slug” your first reaction probably isn’t “adorable”, but after checking out these Jorunna parva sea slugs, you might feel differently.

The sea bunny, like most sea slugs or nudibranchs, is a hermaphrodite. They have both male and female reproductive organs, and when they mate, both partners exchange sperm. The cuddly-looking creatures come armed with "incredibly long copulatory spines," says Valdés. It's basically like a dart that the animal jabs into its partner during the mating process. This ensures that they stay attached to each other until the sperm exchange is done, he explains.